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Joanne Ditmer

Ditmer: America's outdoor legacy under attack

By Joanne DitmerThe Denver Post

Posted:
10/28/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT

The Great Outdoors Giveaway Act.

That's what critics call the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act, which would erase current protections on more than 60 million acres of America's undeveloped public lands, including 4.6 million acres in Colorado. The act would affect 55 million acres in national forests and almost 7 million acres in Bureau of Land Management properties, "releasing" them to corporate profit-making decisions.

Our wild lands define the spirit and character of America. They give us glorious vistas of pristine lands, places of serenity, repose and recreation, wildlife habitat, and protection of clean water resources for 60 million Americans. The vast majority are in the West and this is an alarming signal that some powerful people think the West and its spectacular landscapes no longer deserve special protections. With protection removed, these irreplaceable lands would be open to destructive "multiple use" -- oil and gas development, mining, timber harvests, off-road vehicles.

"Come help yourself to our national treasures" seems to be the motto.

If the legislation were to pass, Congress would no longer have the unique power to designate and protect America's natural heritage that it has for nearly 50 years.

In 1964, Congress enacted the Wildness Act, with the House of Representatives voting 373 to 1; since then, Congress has approved 155 wilderness bills, many designating multiple wilderness areas. Every president since Lyndon Johnson has signed wilderness bills (Ronald Reagan signed the most), protecting more than 700 extraordinary locations in 44 states and Puerto Rico, conserving more than 100 million acres.

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Why so many? Our population grows, but there will never be more land. We now lose more than 3 million acres of open space a year, or almost 8,000 acres a day, to development. With no protection, our wild lands -- our nation's greatest legacy -- would disappear

The House version of this year's legislation, HR 1581, was introduced by House Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., with Colorado Republicans Scott Tipton and Mike Coffman signing on as co-sponsors. The Senate version, S 1087, was introduced by Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming.

At a July 26 hearing before the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, BLM director Bob Abbey and Harris Sherman, undersecretary for natural resources and environment in the Department of Agriculture, testified strongly against the bill. And former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt called HR 1581 "The most radical, over-reaching attempt to dismantle the architecture of our public land laws proposed in my lifetime."

Among the measure's varied opponents are the Conservation Alliance and the Outdoor Industry Association. They represent 1,200 businesses with $730 billion in annual sales and 6.5 million jobs, 45 conservation organizations, six national recreation groups, and eight of America's major faith-based groups.

In an exclusive interview, Doug Scott of the Pew Charitable Trusts, who is considered nation's historian on the Wilderness Act, noted, "The grassroots wilderness movement is bigger and stronger than ever. People send supportive messages, they go to countless meetings, they tell Congress what natural lands they value and why. All across the country, congressmen and women of both parties work collaboratively with local groups to craft guidelines for the untouched lands that locals believe deserve protection. Those local voices are fundamental to wilderness protection, and are not included in the McCarthy bill."

President Teddy Roosevelt, considered the father of our wild lands, said it best: "We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune."

The Obama administration has stated that the president would not sign the bill, but Republicans have indicated they might attach it to another bill to slip it through.

It's time for people to speak up to defend our unique and awesome natural lands.

Freelance columnist Joanne Ditmer has been writing on environmental issues for The Post since 1962.

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